Daily Archives: July 31, 2016

“Hey, what are you doing out here? You must be cold.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“I can see your goosebumps. Here, take my jacket.”
“Ok, I get it. Chivalry isn’t dead. But, if you give me your jacket, then you’ll probably get cold. How does that make sense?”
“I insist.”
“Why?”
“What?”
“Why? Why do you insist?”
“Well, I don’t know. It’s the right thing to do.”
“It’s the right thing to do to force your jacket on someone who doesn’t want it?”
“What? No! That’s not what I meant!”
“That’s what you said.”
“Listen, is this some feminism thing?”
“Are you serious? No, it’s a logic thing. But, since you brough
t it up, would you have offered your jacket to a male friend?”
“It depends on which friend. I mean, my jacket would never fit Josh, the way he works out.”
“Matt…”
“Ok, fine. I wouldn’t have offered my jacket to a male friend.”
“Because?”
“I guess, I’d assume they were fine or could handle it.”
“And yet, you couldn’t give me the same consideration.”
“…”
“What?”
“Well, now I’m feeling kind of dumb.”
“Don’t feel dumb. It’s just a matter of listening, or of paying attention, maybe. You figured I’d be cold, I said I was fine. It ends right there.”
“Makes sense. So, can I have my jacket back?”

Are there situations where you fall victim to default thinking or behaviour because ‘that’s the way it’s supposed to be’? Or because ‘that’s the way it’s always been done’? Are there times when it makes sense? What opportunities for growth or innovation could you be missing out on, if you just do or say the typical thing? Are there things or people in your personal life or at work that could bear more attention?